Generation adidas falls to Ajax reserves in tour opener

The 2011 Generation adidas team began its three-game tour of the Netherlands on Thursday morning, but not in the fashion that it would have liked.

Ajax's reserve team defeated Generation adidas, 4-2, in a 60-minute friendly in Amsterdam. The two goals for Generation adidas came from team captain and Columbus Crew midfielder Dilly Duka and New York Red Bulls forward Corey Hertzog.

Duka scored the first goal of the game on a low free kick after Danny Mwanga was fouled near the penalty area in the game's opening minutes. Hertzog found the back of the net in the second half to make it 2-2 after Omar Salgado forced a turnover and passed it to him.

Generation adidas head coach Peter Vermes trotted out a 4-4-2 in the game. Here's the starting XI:

Considering the circumstances, not bad. I hope most people remember that Ajax Reserves play together all the time… Some of these GA kids haven’t played more than a handful of competitive matches all year. And that’s not to mention that they’ve probably never played with each other.

(a) I’d assume most of these guys saw some mix of first team and reserve minutes (Bruin played 25 first team games and scored 5 goals for Houston….and had 5 reserve games and 2 goals there…….enough to wonder how long his GA status lasts), and at minimum should have been playing for MLS reserve squads.

(b) Some of these players are also seeing time on US youth national teams. Sarkodie played with the US U-20s this year for instance.

(c) There used to be a separate Project 40 team when it was a Nike sponsored program, but I am sure there is a tension between the desire of the owning team to have them around if but for bench and practice fodder, and the desire to actually get them games, which almost requires pulling them from the first team mix. Little bit of the tension inherent in loans elsewhere.

(d) This was a 60 minute affair that starts to sound like a glorified scrimmage. A professionally handled, perhaps filmed, but nonetheless less-than-absolutely-serious scrimmage. I think it’s more useful as a reward for going pro while accepting marginal status as a young player than it really is getting them games. If you wanted games you’d really need to either expand the reserves back to weekly games or recreate the Project 40 concept, with either a touring team or a particular minor league team becoming staffed by GA.

[I find it interesting that over in the East teams in places like Singapore are often reserve sides for teams in Japan or whatever. I think it’s be cool to have a real “Club America” in some foreign country staffed with MLS draftees who would otherwise fight for time here….led by a good development coach.]